WEBVTT Kind: captions; Language: en 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.001 Well hello on this beautiful Monday afternoon. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:19.000 This is Michael Walker here at the famous Computer Cafe. 00:00:19.001 --> 00:00:20.001 And this is Andy Velkoff. 00:00:20.001 --> 00:00:23.001 Welcome you for the next 30 minutes of talking about personal computers, 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.001 technology, and some really fascinating things today in 00:00:26.001 --> 00:00:28.001 terms of a very special guest. 00:00:28.001 --> 00:00:30.001 Our guest today is Richard Grant. 00:00:30.001 --> 00:00:32.000 He's designed a system called Oracle. 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:36.000 And for all you folks who wanted to know if there were other applications to a 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:39.000 personal computer, this gentleman has created one that all of us can use. 00:00:39.001 --> 00:00:43.000 This week the famous Computer Cafe software giveaway is featuring Speed 00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:44.001 Reader 2 from Davidson and Associates. 00:00:45.001 --> 00:00:48.001 Speed Reader 2 is a six part reading program designed to improve your speed 00:00:48.001 --> 00:00:50.001 and comprehension reading. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:54.001 In studies done at Upward Bound School in Palos Verdes, 00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:56.001 they came out with some terrific results. 00:00:56.001 --> 00:00:59.000 Jan Davidson is going to be our guest on Friday. 00:00:59.001 --> 00:01:03.001 But every day this week we're giving away a copy of Speed 00:01:03.001 --> 00:01:05.000 Reader 2 to one lucky caller. 00:01:05.001 --> 00:01:08.001 So call in, ask your questions of Richard Grant about 00:01:08.001 --> 00:01:10.000 Oracle and about all sorts of things. 00:01:10.001 --> 00:01:12.001 We'll be right back after this break. 00:01:13.000 --> 00:01:15.000 Oh and I want to let you know you're going to be able to call in. 00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:17.001 I'll give you the numbers before we take the break. 00:01:17.001 --> 00:01:21.001 In Los Angeles, as everybody knows, the numbers end in KIEV. 00:01:21.001 --> 00:01:28.000 So in LA, 628, San Fernando Valley, 989, Glendale Burbank, 956, San Gabriel 00:01:28.000 --> 00:01:33.001 Valley, 443, South Bay Area, 835, Orange County, 00:01:33.001 --> 00:01:35.000 714, 739. 00:01:35.001 --> 00:01:39.001 And those folks in West LA, 837, KIEV. 00:01:47.000 --> 00:01:49.000 If Lotus had given you just one. 00:01:49.001 --> 00:01:49.001 One. 00:01:49.001 --> 00:01:52.001 A spreadsheet that's up to 50 times faster than other spreadsheets. 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:56.001 With every statistical and financial formula you'll ever need and 00:01:56.001 --> 00:01:58.000 the largest workspace on the market. 00:01:58.001 --> 00:01:59.001 That would have been enough. 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:01.001 And if Lotus had given you just two. 00:02:01.001 --> 00:02:02.000 Two. 00:02:02.001 --> 00:02:03.001 Information management. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:08.000 To store and organize information with the ability to cross index over 2,000 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:11.001 records by 32 criteria and use information from other 00:02:11.001 --> 00:02:13.000 programs and computer systems. 00:02:13.001 --> 00:02:14.001 That would have been enough. 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:16.001 And if Lotus had given you just three. 00:02:16.001 --> 00:02:17.000 Three. 00:02:18.001 --> 00:02:22.000 To graph information from your spreadsheet in less than two seconds and change 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:26.000 that information, touch a key and graph the new results instantly. 00:02:26.001 --> 00:02:28.000 Graphics as a thinking tool. 00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:29.000 That would have been enough. 00:02:29.001 --> 00:02:31.000 But Lotus has given you more. 00:02:31.001 --> 00:02:36.000 Text editing, tutorials, a help key and a host of features which give Lotus 123 00:02:36.000 --> 00:02:38.000 its power and simplicity. 00:02:38.001 --> 00:02:43.001 Lotus 123 is available at the Software Spot. 10977 Santa Monica 00:02:43.001 --> 00:02:45.000 Boulevard in West Los Angeles. 00:02:45.001 --> 00:02:49.000 Or phone 213-477-7561. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:53.000 That's 213-477-7561. 00:02:53.001 --> 00:02:54.001 The Software Spot. 00:02:54.001 --> 00:02:58.001 The oldest independently owned and operated software store in Los Angeles. 00:02:58.001 --> 00:02:59.001 A soft sell dealer. 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:02.001 Hi, we're back. 00:03:02.001 --> 00:03:06.000 This is Andy and we're here at the News Killer and the famous Computer Cafe. 00:03:06.001 --> 00:03:08.001 A couple of really interesting things in the news today. 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:13.000 First of all, there's word that a new Mac may be coming January 23rd. 00:03:13.001 --> 00:03:17.000 Computer columnist Wendy Wood says she's learned that Apple will unveil an 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:20.000 upgraded Macintosh at its January 23rd stockholders meeting. 00:03:21.000 --> 00:03:26.000 In an exclusive in her News Bites weekly newsletter, Wood says, dubbed the Mac 00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:31.001 XL, the new machine is smaller, is similar to the Lisa, has two Sony disk drives 00:03:31.001 --> 00:03:36.000 and at least one M of RAM. 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:37.001 One megabyte. 00:03:37.001 --> 00:03:38.001 One megabyte of RAM. 00:03:39.000 --> 00:03:41.001 And we'll have basically the same internal circuitry as the Lisa. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:43.001 It's estimated to cost $3,995. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:48.000 She says, my sources also indicate that all future Apple 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:49.001 products will have white cases. 00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:54.000 Apple apparently is abandoning the beige exterior last seen on the Macintosh 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:56.001 following recommendations from its PR firm. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:03:59.001 Alaska Data Network starts. 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.000 Apparently the North Country has gone online. 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:07.000 According to Communications Daily, AlaskaNet, a statewide packet data network 00:04:07.000 --> 00:04:08.001 has opened for business. 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:12.001 The $2 million system supplied by TimeNet is accessible through Anchorage, 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:16.000 Fairbanks, Juneau and Prudhoe Bay. 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:18.001 New video tech service plan. 00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:23.000 Nova Communication Systems of Spark Hill, New York plans to launch a national 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:28.001 video tech service in June called Nematics Online Today Learned Recently. 00:04:29.001 --> 00:04:34.000 According to the company's marketing director, Tom Rona, a subscription fee of 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:38.000 $29.95 will give the customer six months of unlimited access to 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:39.001 the network 24 hours a day. 00:04:40.001 --> 00:04:41.000 Okay. 00:04:42.001 --> 00:04:43.001 Here's an interesting article. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:48.000 Apparently more students are learning to program a rapidly growing number of 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:53.001 college freshman program computers, 50. 6% this year compared with 37 00:04:53.001 --> 00:04:55.001 .5% just a year ago. 00:04:55.001 --> 00:05:00.000 That's one of the results of the 19th annual survey of freshman attitudes. 00:05:01.001 --> 00:05:01.001 [...] 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:08.001 According to Isaac Asimov, computers will bring predictability to the US legal 00:05:08.001 --> 00:05:12.000 system, which Richard might be interested, resulting in more 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:13.001 justice and fewer cases. 00:05:14.001 --> 00:05:20.000 He indicates in an article in the ABA Journal, a machine will have to be cold 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.000 blooded indeed to match the cold bloodedness of human beings in courts. 00:05:24.001 --> 00:05:28.000 Asimov compared the predictability of legal outcomes with the way armies of 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:31.000 Renaissance Italy would study their chances of winning an approaching battle. 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:35.001 He says, when one captain saw that he was in the position of such disadvantage, 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:38.000 he would surely lose. 00:05:39.000 --> 00:05:43.000 If he fought, he didn't fight but gave up and marched away anyway. 00:05:43.001 --> 00:05:43.001 Okay. 00:05:43.001 --> 00:05:45.000 Here's an interesting article. 00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:46.001 Teen cracks computer for police. 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:50.001 For those of you who are sick and tired of hearing bad news about youthful 00:05:50.001 --> 00:05:57.001 computer crackers, here's a story about a Minneapolis 15-year-old computer 00:05:57.001 --> 00:06:01.000 enthusiast who helped police rummaging through computer disks of a man who was 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:03.001 thought to keep electronic records of a sexual abuse of children. 00:06:03.001 --> 00:06:07.000 According to the Associated Press, the boy's efforts reportedly 00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:09.000 resulted in the man's arrest. 00:06:10.001 --> 00:06:15.000 And last but not least, Tokyo's Fujitsu company has developed what it claims to 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:16.001 be the world's fastest computer. 00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:21.000 The supercomputer tentatively named VP400 is capable of more than one billion 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:24.001 operations per second and company officials say it will be available 00:06:24.001 --> 00:06:26.000 for marketing later this year. 00:06:26.001 --> 00:06:29.001 That's it in the news corner and we'll be back right after this. 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:41.000 Bank Street Rider by Broderbund is the one word processing program that is 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:45.000 unpretentious enough to be used at home by both children and adults, yet is 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:48.000 sophisticated enough to meet most small business needs too. 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:52.000 Bank Street Rider is packed with powerful features that have made it the most 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:54.001 popular home word processing program in the world. 00:06:55.001 --> 00:06:57.001 There are no complex codes to memorize. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:01.000 Directions are at the top of the screen every step of the way. 00:07:01.001 --> 00:07:05.001 Bank Street Rider gives you sophisticated features like automatic word wrap, 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:10.001 universal search and replace, automatic centering and easy storage and retrieval 00:07:10.001 --> 00:07:13.001 of anything you write, complete with password protection. 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:17.001 Bank Street Rider also comes complete with a special tutorial on the back of the 00:07:17.001 --> 00:07:19.001 disc that teaches the basics of word processing. 00:07:20.001 --> 00:07:24.000 A comprehensive reference manual and free backup disc are also included. 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:26.001 Want to try your hand at Bank Street Rider? 00:07:26.001 --> 00:07:32.000 Then follow your feet down to Strictly Software at 14617.5 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:34.000 Prairie Avenue in Lawndale. 00:07:34.001 --> 00:07:38.001 Or you can call 213-970-1242. 00:07:39.001 --> 00:07:42.000 Strictly Software, a soft sell dealer. 00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:50.000 Well we're here at the famous computer cafe with our guest Richard Grant. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:52.001 First of all I want to welcome you here to the cafe Richard. 00:07:52.001 --> 00:07:53.000 How are you? 00:07:53.001 --> 00:07:54.001 I'm fine, how are you Mike? 00:07:54.001 --> 00:07:55.000 I'm doing pretty good. 00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:58.001 The last time we talked to one another was in Las Vegas as you kept telling me 00:07:58.001 --> 00:08:00.000 how great this Oracle system is. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:04.001 Well listen, first before we even get into really 00:08:04.001 --> 00:08:06.001 Oracle, let's talk a little bit about you. 00:08:07.000 --> 00:08:11.000 You're a lawyer, a judge pro temp, you're doing a lot of different things. 00:08:11.001 --> 00:08:14.001 How did a legal mind get into the world of computers? 00:08:15.001 --> 00:08:21.000 Well the actual involvement in computers came as a result of trying to grab a law 00:08:21.000 --> 00:08:23.001 office and get it under control when I started to practice law. 00:08:23.001 --> 00:08:29.000 I found that clients hated like heck to get bills that said 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:30.001 $10,000, services rendered. 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.001 When they would call you up and say, what is this? 00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:39.000 And I decided to try and break down the billings but the more specific I got in 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:43.001 trying to inform the clients as to the nature of the work that was performed in 00:08:43.001 --> 00:08:47.001 some detail, the more bureaucratically burdensome it became. 00:08:47.001 --> 00:08:52.001 And we tried all kinds of manual systems and at that time back in the old 1976, 00:08:53.001 --> 00:08:55.000 1977 when the stuff started really getting heavy, 00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:57.001 there were no computer systems around. 00:08:58.001 --> 00:09:04.000 And so it became my problem and I said heck, I think I can do this myself and 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:05.001 lo and behold that's how I got into it. 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:08.001 My background though academically tends to support that. 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:14.000 Okay but now your brother Ron is out there right now doing some movie work. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:18.001 Oracle is really a software program that's been introduced to 00:09:18.001 --> 00:09:20.000 the world of music composers. 00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:25.000 Those guys like Bill Conti who write the music for Rocky and the Karate Kid and 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:27.001 you can probably name a lot more of the people that are using it. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:29.001 Tell us a little bit about this Oracle. 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:34.000 Well firstly so the audience doesn't misconceive it, it's not spelled in the same 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:36.001 way that the Oracle of Delphi has been spelled. 00:09:36.001 --> 00:09:40.001 It's A-U-R-I-C-L-E and essentially that means ear. 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:44.000 So there are really two aspects to the program. 00:09:44.000 --> 00:09:48.000 There's Oracle which is that aspect which is what we call the man-machine 00:09:48.000 --> 00:09:51.001 interface and then there's something called the film composers time processor 00:09:51.001 --> 00:09:53.001 which is the current application of the Oracle. 00:09:54.001 --> 00:09:59.000 And that latter part which uses the Oracle as an interface is being used 00:09:59.000 --> 00:10:01.001 essentially to do most of the television shows they see every day and 00:10:01.001 --> 00:10:03.001 more and more motion pictures. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:08.001 Now music is almost foreign to me as computers are in that I'm not a composer 00:10:08.001 --> 00:10:11.001 myself even though I call myself a drummer. 00:10:12.000 --> 00:10:13.001 I played drums for like 11 years. 00:10:13.001 --> 00:10:16.000 I understand beats and I understand notes. 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:22.001 In a layman's way can you explain to me how this is somewhat revolutionary 00:10:22.001 --> 00:10:24.001 in its concept and design? 00:10:25.000 --> 00:10:25.001 No which aspect though? 00:10:26.000 --> 00:10:31.000 The Oracle element in terms of how let's take a composer, a music composer who's 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:36.001 trying to score for a hit movie and he wants to be able to use your computer 00:10:36.001 --> 00:10:39.000 system to compose the music. 00:10:39.000 --> 00:10:42.001 Right, well dealing with the time processor or application part of it what it 00:10:42.001 --> 00:10:48.000 does is it serves a special need on the part of film and television composers or 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:54.000 any composer of music who has to worry about where his music as he writes it or 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:56.000 sets it down on paper is going to occur in point of time. 00:10:56.001 --> 00:10:59.001 So when you write music for motion picture films you have to worry about where a 00:10:59.001 --> 00:11:03.000 given note is going to happen or a given phrase is going to happen because it has 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:06.000 to be associated with the visual image. 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:10.001 So when they're playing the music in a studio as a matter of fact they often 00:11:10.001 --> 00:11:14.001 actually show the film while the orchestra is actually making the score, 00:11:14.001 --> 00:11:18.001 recording the score and this system solves that problem. 00:11:18.001 --> 00:11:22.001 Before they used very thick books of tables like logarithm tables or something 00:11:22.001 --> 00:11:27.000 like that that would kind of like tell them if they were at a certain tempo where 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:29.001 anyone beat in the music they plan to write would occur. 00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:32.000 This system solves that whole problem. 00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:37.000 So, this would allow me to say okay about 20 minutes into the piece when. 00:11:37.001 --> 00:11:39.000 It's a long piece, you don't want to do a 20 minute piece. 00:11:39.001 --> 00:11:42.000 Right, okay let's say 5 minutes into the piece. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:43.000 It's still a long cue, but go ahead. 00:11:43.001 --> 00:11:47.000 Most cues in television, most music cues as you see them will watch a television 00:11:47.000 --> 00:11:51.001 show and you'll see that they're 30, 45 seconds rarely they start getting up into 00:11:51.001 --> 00:11:56.000 the 3, 4 minute range and occasionally on things like Star Trek or 2010 you'll 00:11:56.000 --> 00:12:03.000 see 5, 7 minute segments. 15 seconds into the piece. 15 seconds into the 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:07.000 piece when the starlet knocks on the door and all of a sudden about two more 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:11.001 seconds later the ghost appears and scares her out of her wits. 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:15.001 We get music, we get this big barrage of sound and everything going on. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:22.000 You can have as the director and the writer of the movie I can say now what I 00:12:22.000 --> 00:12:25.000 really want is a shocking sound, shocking music. 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:30.000 Then you as the composer can be able to say okay 15 seconds in going it 4-4 times 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:32.000 this is what I want to have happen at what speed. 00:12:32.001 --> 00:12:34.001 Right it depends on the overall tempo, what you might 00:12:34.001 --> 00:12:36.001 call the visual flavor of the film. 00:12:36.001 --> 00:12:41.000 You know chase scene will tend to be a fast kind of a piece of music. 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:44.001 A love scene will tend to be, well it depends on who you're talking to, 00:12:44.001 --> 00:12:46.000 it will be a slower piece of music. 00:12:47.001 --> 00:12:49.001 So he makes a decision as to tempo. 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:53.000 You usually find though that when he makes a decision as to tempo he's going to 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:56.000 be a little late than the 15 seconds or a little early. 00:12:56.000 --> 00:13:01.000 So this system will allow him literally to specify very precisely exactly in real 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:04.001 time where he has to be in a certain bar at a certain beat. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:09.001 Now the time processor is really kind of a separate piece as 00:13:09.001 --> 00:13:11.001 opposed to Oracle itself. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:16.000 Oracle is what I would call machine independent conceptually. 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:20.000 In fact there are various prototypes and variations on it 00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:22.000 on about four or five different machines. 00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:24.000 In fact I'm just working on one now on a Mac. 00:13:25.001 --> 00:13:28.001 I've got one on about $50,000 worth of HP hardware. 00:13:28.001 --> 00:13:29.001 I've got one on apples. 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:31.000 I've got one all over the place. 00:13:31.001 --> 00:13:34.001 And it essentially describes the man machine interface. 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:38.001 How you get the system to perform the tasks you want it to perform. 00:13:39.000 --> 00:13:43.000 But you know when I saw a brief demo of this what you're really kind of saying is 00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:46.000 that I don't have to go to a main menu. 00:13:46.000 --> 00:13:49.001 Normally everybody when you want to have your machine, your computer do something 00:13:49.001 --> 00:13:52.001 you go to a menu and say okay this is what I'd like you to do. 00:13:53.000 --> 00:13:56.001 And it goes to that particular option and it does whatever you want it to do. 00:13:57.000 --> 00:13:59.001 And as you described it's like going to separate rooms with the book. 00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.000 If you have I want to get a book for drama you got to go to room one. 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:07.001 You want to get it and you got to go back and put that book away in order to get 00:14:07.001 --> 00:14:09.001 another book for sports in room two. 00:14:09.001 --> 00:14:13.001 That kind of general philosophy that characterizes almost all software that I've 00:14:13.001 --> 00:14:17.000 ever seen in fact that I've read about in the marketplace is 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:19.000 essentially, you know it's epidemic. 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:22.000 Every system you buy is a menu structured system. 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.000 They tend to be very sparse in their functionality and very difficult 00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:27.000 to learn to use and to operate. 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:28.000 This tends to solve that problem. 00:14:28.001 --> 00:14:33.001 And the way that it solves it is in plain English I can say get book one, get 00:14:33.001 --> 00:14:37.001 book two, get book three without having to go into all these different motions. 00:14:37.001 --> 00:14:38.000 Right. 00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:41.000 It's a natural, we can argue all day long about what's natural language. 00:14:41.001 --> 00:14:45.001 But it's a natural language driven system which has absolutely no preconditions 00:14:45.001 --> 00:14:50.000 to the acquisition of any task in its vocabulary. 00:14:50.001 --> 00:14:50.001 Super. 00:14:50.001 --> 00:14:54.000 Well when we come back we're going to open the lines up so you guys can ask some 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:55.001 more questions and help me out here. 00:15:03.001 --> 00:15:08.000 SuperCalc 3 by Sorsom is a spreadsheet that's extremely easy to use, swift and 00:15:08.000 --> 00:15:12.000 powerful and it's priced lower than most other leading spreadsheet programs. 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:16.001 SuperCalc 3 has all the built in functions expected in a high quality 00:15:16.001 --> 00:15:18.001 spreadsheet and a lot more. 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:23.000 SuperCalc 3's features include an on screen help function, spreadsheet 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:27.001 consolidation and sorting capabilities, calendar and date calculations, simple 00:15:27.001 --> 00:15:30.000 data management, functions and windowing. 00:15:30.001 --> 00:15:35.000 The integrated graphics capability is superbly presented allowing plotting and 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:37.000 printing of charts in up to 99 colors. 00:15:37.001 --> 00:15:42.000 SuperCalc 3 provides you with the ability to create pie charts, bar charts, line 00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:43.001 charts and xy graphs. 00:15:44.001 --> 00:15:47.001 The graphics are integrated into the command structure so once you learn 00:15:47.001 --> 00:15:50.001 SuperCalc 3, plotting and graphing the results of your 00:15:50.001 --> 00:15:52.000 calculations is as easy as pie. 00:15:53.000 --> 00:15:57.000 To get a taste of the simplicity and power of SuperCalc 3, walk into Simply 00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:00.000 Software where they'd love to whip up a quick demonstration. 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:06.000 Simply Software is located at 3001 Seplevada Boulevard in Manhattan Beach or call 00:16:06.000 --> 00:16:13.000 213-8-1. 213-546-2467 that's 213-546-2467. 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:16.000 Simply Software, a soft sell dealer. 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:22.000 Well we're back here at the famous Computer Cafe and of course 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:24.000 what I'd like to do is open up the lines. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:27.000 It seems that Michael Walker is on the line number two. 00:16:27.000 --> 00:16:28.000 Michael how are you? 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:29.000 I'm fine, how about yourself? 00:16:29.001 --> 00:16:31.001 Well I guess I'm doing pretty good. 00:16:31.001 --> 00:16:32.001 You got my name, huh? 00:16:32.001 --> 00:16:33.000 [...] 00:16:33.000 --> 00:16:36.000 Well you can't be all that bad. 00:16:36.000 --> 00:16:37.000 What's your question? 00:16:37.001 --> 00:16:38.001 It's really on modems. 00:16:38.001 --> 00:16:39.000 [...] 00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:41.001 It has nothing to do with your guests and I apologize for that. 00:16:41.001 --> 00:16:43.001 Well that's okay, we'll see what we can do with it. 00:16:43.001 --> 00:16:46.001 I'm looking to purchase a modem and I would like to find out 00:16:46.001 --> 00:16:48.000 if you can recommend a good system. 00:16:49.001 --> 00:16:53.000 Well you know in the area of modems it depends on what you want your modem to do. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:59.000 Me myself I kind of go for the most expensive because I'm not quite sure what I 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:02.001 want to do and I just don't want to be limited when I do figure it out 00:17:02.001 --> 00:17:04.000 finally what it is I want to do. 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:11.000 I myself got a Hayes Smart modem and it allows you 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:14.001 to do auto dial and it allows you to set up a bulletin board 00:17:14.001 --> 00:17:16.000 but it's around $600. 00:17:16.001 --> 00:17:20.000 You know the best thing that I would suggest you do depending on your price range 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:23.001 is probably a good place to start on how much you want to spend for your modem. 00:17:24.001 --> 00:17:29.000 Give one of the local software stores a call because they normally have, it's 00:17:29.000 --> 00:17:33.000 more of a software item, it's peripherals for your computer and you can call and 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:39.000 say listen I have a hundred dollars or I have $500 to spend to do the things that 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:42.000 I want to do what do you recommend and it's always a good place to 00:17:42.000 --> 00:17:44.000 start in terms of asking questions. 00:17:44.001 --> 00:17:44.001 [...] 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:47.000 Super listen take care have a good day. 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:47.001 You too. 00:17:47.001 --> 00:17:48.000 Alright. 00:17:48.000 --> 00:17:49.000 Hi you're on the line. 00:17:49.001 --> 00:17:50.001 Hi my name is Al Gershwin. 00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:53.000 I have a question concerning the UNIX operating 00:17:53.000 --> 00:17:54.001 system as a C programming language. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:18:00.001 UF Packard is introducing a new transportable link under the code name of Pisace 00:18:00.001 --> 00:18:06.001 and it's the operating system is UNIX and it's in the ROM of the machine and I 00:18:06.001 --> 00:18:08.001 was just wondering if you could tell me a little bit about that operating 00:18:08.001 --> 00:18:10.000 system and about that programming language. 00:18:10.001 --> 00:18:11.001 What machine is it? 00:18:12.001 --> 00:18:15.000 Well they're building it under the code name of Pisace. 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:18.000 It has I don't know how to describe it. 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:22.001 The ThinkJet printer is built into the machine and it's also using the type of 00:18:22.001 --> 00:18:26.000 display screen that's on the grid computer, the electro-humanism screen. 00:18:26.001 --> 00:18:26.001 Yeah. 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:27.001 [...] 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:34.000 Well I haven't worked with UNIX I know that HP is very heavy into UNIX and I 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:37.001 think if I'm not mistaken was developed what at Bell Labs and you 00:18:37.001 --> 00:18:39.000 want to what do C work on it? 00:18:39.001 --> 00:18:40.000 Right well. 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:43.001 There's a lot of text available I haven't worked in C but I have read about it 00:18:43.001 --> 00:18:46.001 and I think it was developed by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs and he's in 00:18:46.001 --> 00:18:48.000 fact got a couple of books out on it. 00:18:48.001 --> 00:18:51.000 What are some of the advantages of the UNIX operating system? 00:18:52.000 --> 00:18:54.001 I mean you get as far as I'm concerned 00:18:54.001 --> 00:18:56.001 you're just going to get me into a philosophical discussion. 00:18:57.000 --> 00:18:59.001 I find no advantages in any operating system as far as I'm concerned. 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:02.000 They all tend to be you usually grow out 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:04.000 of every one of them in some way or another. 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:07.001 If I'm not mistaken and I'm not that experienced with UNIX it tends to be 00:19:07.001 --> 00:19:09.000 somewhat of a multi tasking environment. 00:19:09.001 --> 00:19:11.000 How about the C programming language? 00:19:11.001 --> 00:19:17.001 The C programming has been I have some friends who treated as a religion and are 00:19:17.001 --> 00:19:20.001 very high on it but I can't tell you personally because I haven't written in it. 00:19:20.001 --> 00:19:21.001 Well thank you very kindly. 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:22.000 You're welcome. 00:19:22.001 --> 00:19:23.000 Thanks for your call Al. 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:27.001 You know getting back to really why we brought you here the fact that you've 00:19:27.001 --> 00:19:34.001 created a system that really kind of does away with menus how is that possible? 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:41.000 Why can I speak in simple English to the computer and have it do whatever I 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:43.000 wanted to do in a quick second? 00:19:43.001 --> 00:19:45.000 How is it done? 00:19:45.001 --> 00:19:49.000 Yeah I mean well you don't have to give us your trade secrets but I mean you know 00:19:49.000 --> 00:19:52.001 I guess I asked the question before if this is such a great thing 00:19:52.001 --> 00:19:54.000 how come you're not a super duper million? 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:58.000 Well it's only been out actually on the marketplace for about six months and you 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:01.000 know the computer world right now is in a period of transition. 00:20:02.001 --> 00:20:04.001 It's barely out of the womb. 00:20:05.001 --> 00:20:08.001 You know a hundred years from now it'll look like the dark ages. 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:10.000 Everybody's coming up with new ideas. 00:20:10.001 --> 00:20:14.000 The large companies tend to avoid getting into innovative products. 00:20:14.001 --> 00:20:17.001 The classic example is IBM who makes very good things 00:20:17.001 --> 00:20:19.001 and Apple who makes very good things. 00:20:19.001 --> 00:20:25.001 IBM didn't touch the personal computer market until Apple had paved the way. 00:20:26.001 --> 00:20:31.000 They tend to approach marketplaces not because they have something innovative to 00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:35.001 offer but because the marketplaces have proved themselves to be profitable and so 00:20:35.001 --> 00:20:39.000 you'll find a large companies tending to stay with what works and of course new 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:43.000 ideas haven't been proved to work yet so they wait for entrepreneurs to come out. 00:20:43.000 --> 00:20:46.000 As a matter of fact most new ideas in the history of mankind come from people not 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:48.001 with large businesses or part of the institutions. 00:20:49.001 --> 00:20:52.000 It happens in science back in the 1800s and even the 1700s. 00:20:52.000 --> 00:20:56.001 The new ideas always came from the people in the garage and ultimately if they 00:20:56.001 --> 00:20:59.000 were lucky got funding they became 3M and 00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:01.001 that's the way the world works and it takes time. 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:04.000 Do you feel like you're fighting two different battles? 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:08.001 I mean you've got the one of computer technology especially the fact that most 00:21:08.001 --> 00:21:11.000 people aren't into computers just yet. 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:12.000 I mean everybody's heard about it. 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:13.000 I hope to solve that problem. 00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:17.000 I think most people in Time magazine reported that last April in an article that 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:20.000 had Bill Gates from Microsoft on the cover which said that unfortunately 00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:26.001 computers are not nearly as widely accepted as people might tend to believe 00:21:26.001 --> 00:21:31.001 largely because until they begin to act like human beings until computers begin 00:21:31.001 --> 00:21:36.000 to conform to the humanity sitting in front of them rather than trying to require 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:41.000 humanity to conform to it they're going to stay as a very fancy kind of bibble 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:43.000 lots on your shelves and gather dust. 00:21:43.001 --> 00:21:45.001 Most people aren't using them they're very frustrated with them. 00:21:45.001 --> 00:21:48.001 Well it seems to me that that's exactly what Oracle is trying to do. 00:21:48.001 --> 00:21:49.001 Oracle solves that problem. 00:21:49.001 --> 00:21:53.000 Virtually all the people and I mean we're talking about big composers and big 00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:57.000 time people now that bought it never had a computer never 00:21:57.000 --> 00:21:58.001 had an experience with the machine. 00:21:58.001 --> 00:22:03.000 I think of only maybe two of my buyers or owners actually had machines. 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:07.001 In fact those two who bought them had apples and actually decided to buy another 00:22:07.001 --> 00:22:11.000 machine the Commodore to run it on because they were so impressed with the 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:15.000 software and that impressed me because finally it was changing the emphasis that 00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:18.000 really the software dictated the hardware and not the other way around. 00:22:18.001 --> 00:22:22.001 Well then that gets me to the second part of the uphill battle in that you're 00:22:22.001 --> 00:22:25.000 talking about a thing called a time processor. 00:22:25.001 --> 00:22:31.001 I mean word processing is still a very foreign term to many of us and yet 00:22:31.001 --> 00:22:33.001 you're talking about time processing. 00:22:33.001 --> 00:22:34.000 Well time processing. 00:22:34.001 --> 00:22:35.001 It has a little esoteric out there. 00:22:35.001 --> 00:22:39.001 To the music profession it doesn't because essentially what it really does is 00:22:39.001 --> 00:22:44.000 manipulate the timing of music and so it actually it either deletes, inserts, 00:22:44.001 --> 00:22:49.000 adds time, spreads time, thins time, thickens time so that your musical 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:55.001 compositions can be stretched or shrunk to fit like a tailor to fit the film. 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:58.000 That's why it's called a time processor. 00:22:58.001 --> 00:23:03.001 So if in a normal set of counts and beats it's a four four time frame. 00:23:03.001 --> 00:23:05.001 Yeah four four sets the meter right. 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:08.001 It could be phrasing but that just means four beats 00:23:08.001 --> 00:23:10.000 to a bar, one beat meaning a quarter note. 00:23:10.001 --> 00:23:16.001 If something happens in half that time you can be able to move my music, create 00:23:16.001 --> 00:23:20.000 my music so it compacts itself so to speak. 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:21.000 So to speak. 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:24.001 You got to be careful with that because you know there's a point at which the 00:23:24.001 --> 00:23:27.000 music begins to suffer from that kind of compaction. 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:27.001 Got it. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:29.000 Well we're going to take a call. 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:30.000 Hi you're on the line. 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:31.000 Hi my name is Danny. 00:23:31.001 --> 00:23:32.000 Hi Danny. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:34.001 Hi I have two questions for Richard. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:40.000 Okay what kind of things does this computer do and what is it aimed at? 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:44.001 Well there are two parts to that question really from where I sit. 00:23:44.001 --> 00:23:50.001 There's the application side of the current application which is designed to go 00:23:50.001 --> 00:23:55.000 to film composers, television composers, people who do commercials like the guy 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:57.000 who does the McDonalds commercials has one. 00:23:57.001 --> 00:24:03.000 That's the application side of it and that's to help people who do music with a 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:05.001 multimedia emphasis like when you have to do it for 00:24:05.001 --> 00:24:07.001 television or motion picture that's the application. 00:24:07.001 --> 00:24:10.001 The other side is the Oracle which is the man machine interface. 00:24:11.000 --> 00:24:17.000 It can go on any computer and be the way or the means to access to any software 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:20.000 application on the horizon at the moment. 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:24.000 And you can improve or increase the dynamic range of almost any piece 00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:26.000 of hardware or software using this technique. 00:24:26.001 --> 00:24:28.000 Thanks a lot for your call. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:29.000 Listen we're going to take a break. 00:24:29.001 --> 00:24:31.001 When we come back we'll kind of get into where you see this 00:24:31.001 --> 00:24:33.000 thing in other applications. 00:24:33.001 --> 00:24:34.000 Really going. 00:24:41.001 --> 00:24:44.000 Start with the world's best selling database system. 00:24:44.001 --> 00:24:49.000 Give it enhanced features to make it faster, more powerful and easier to use and 00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:51.000 you have the makings of a software heavy weight. 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:55.001 DBase 3, Ashton Tate's hot new package for your 16-bit PC. 00:24:56.001 --> 00:25:02.000 With DBase 3 you can create records with up to 128 fields, access 10 files at 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:05.001 once and run other programs like communications or word processing 00:25:05.001 --> 00:25:07.000 without leaving DBase 3. 00:25:07.001 --> 00:25:11.001 You can read non-DBase files from other software programs or mainframe databases. 00:25:12.000 --> 00:25:16.000 And you can easily convert your DBase 2 files and programs to DBase 3. 00:25:16.001 --> 00:25:20.000 If you get stuck, help is at your fingertips with multiple help screens. 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:23.000 And where do you go to see this powerful new program? 00:25:23.001 --> 00:25:27.000 Go see David and Betty Sun at Sun Computers in the city of Carson. 00:25:27.001 --> 00:25:31.000 They'll tell you what you need to know about DBase 3 and more. 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:37.001 Sun Computers is located at 20925 South Benita in Carson or call 213 00:25:37.001 --> 00:25:40.000 -538-8338. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:44.000 That's 213-538-8338. 00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:48.000 Sun Computers in Carson, a soft sell dealer. 00:25:50.001 --> 00:25:53.000 Well, you know, I'm always curious really where 00:25:53.000 --> 00:25:54.001 something like this is going to go. 00:25:54.001 --> 00:25:57.000 We only have a couple minutes to really wind down. 00:25:57.000 --> 00:25:59.000 But where do you see this thing going, Richard? 00:25:59.000 --> 00:26:02.001 Well, I've adopted a kind of a basic marketing philosophy. 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:06.001 I tend to want to see it as the first doebe of the computer industry. 00:26:06.001 --> 00:26:12.001 In effect, a device or mechanism, a process or procedure which expands the 00:26:12.001 --> 00:26:17.001 dynamic range of any application, operating system or computer that's now in the 00:26:17.001 --> 00:26:19.001 marketplace or might later be conceived. 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:23.000 In fact, I'm talking to a couple of companies, including one I think it's called 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:27.000 Industrial Computer Technologies, about licensing the technique for their 00:26:27.000 --> 00:26:30.000 applications or for at least one or two applications they have in mind. 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:34.000 And I'm not sure what they have in mind, but I can tell you it's about as far 00:26:34.000 --> 00:26:35.001 away from music as music is from plumbing. 00:26:36.000 --> 00:26:39.001 So really, you could, an individual could take your article and really create it 00:26:39.001 --> 00:26:42.000 to do whatever they wanted to do as an operating system. 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:44.000 It's a man-machine interface. 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:47.001 So it's independent of the tasks that any system you might want to 00:26:47.001 --> 00:26:49.000 design is intended to accomplish. 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:49.001 [...] 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:52.000 Listen, how much does something like this cost an operating system? 00:26:52.000 --> 00:26:55.000 Well, the Oracle as a license is an expensive item. 00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:57.000 So that's not something the audience might be interested in. 00:26:57.000 --> 00:27:00.001 The actual time processor, which is the first application of the Oracle on the 00:27:00.001 --> 00:27:03.001 market, is $595 to composers. 00:27:03.001 --> 00:27:06.000 Okay, so for those listeners who are interested in 00:27:06.000 --> 00:27:07.001 getting in touch with you, give us a number. 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:14.000 Oh, they can reach me at 990-8442, area code 818, Oracle Control Systems. 00:27:14.001 --> 00:27:15.001 Say it again for us. 00:27:15.001 --> 00:27:20.001 Oracle Control Systems, area code 818, 990-8442. 00:27:22.001 --> 00:27:24.001 And we'll be right back after this break. 00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:26.000 No, no, just the break. 00:27:36.001 --> 00:27:39.000 Well, listen, we're not even going to get the last commercial. 00:27:39.000 --> 00:27:40.001 And I want to first thank you, Richard. 00:27:41.000 --> 00:27:42.001 It's been great having you here at the show. 00:27:42.001 --> 00:27:45.001 And we have to have you back next time with your brother as well. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:48.001 Let's see who's on tomorrow, Andy. 00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:53.001 Okay, tomorrow's guest, Chet Perkin, answering questions about printers. 00:27:53.001 --> 00:27:55.001 Wednesday's guest, John Gabry, talking about 00:27:55.001 --> 00:27:57.000 personal computers and the political process. 00:27:57.001 --> 00:28:01.001 Thursday, Mark Bronstein talking about the controversial MSX operating system. 00:28:01.001 --> 00:28:04.001 And of course, Friday, Jan Davidson of Davidson & Associates 00:28:04.001 --> 00:28:06.001 talking about educational software. 00:28:06.001 --> 00:28:09.000 Our winner today is Al Gershon. 00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:11.000 Al, you've won the famous Computer Cafe giveaway. 00:28:11.000 --> 00:28:15.000 We're going to be sending you Speed Reader 2 from Davidson & Associates. 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:17.000 So listen, you guys drive safely out there. 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:18.001 Enjoy the rest of this beautiful day. 00:28:18.001 --> 00:28:21.001 And we look forward to having Richard and Ron Grant back here later in February.